Photographer's Note

Remaining in Yemen in the relatively peaceful days of 1998.

There is not much to say about this photo from the market area of the pleasant city of Taizz, third largest city of Yemen, situated in the southwest, about two thirds of the way from the capital Sanaa to the main harbour of Aden.

I was just passing by when I decided to snap a shot of this crammed shop. The young customer noticed me and turned to greet me just as I pressed the button. Although I greeted him back I probably thought at the time that he had spoiled my photo, but now I am quite pleased with his friendly smile and gesture.

Hello dear Gert,
Nice capture of this simple shop in Taizz !
Many wellknown western brands and a lot of eggs . The cans at right are most probably milk powders which came as special UN aids to Yemen and here on sale ! Quite wellknown scenery.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Hello Gertz.
Fabulous composition full of charm, lucky you could visit this country, I did not when I could and now it's impossible.
I love the view of the store with many products on its front and pleasant to the friendly faces of the boys.
Nice color, in these natural tones.
Also both sharpness, such as lighting are great.
Well taken photo. I Like
Enjoy a nice day.
Best wishes.
Luis.

Hello Gert,
There is so much to view in this fantastic photo of a Yemeni shop. I love the friendly wave and eye contact by this little boy. I am amazed that this shop looks so much like the grocery shop in my locality! Chock a block with various kind of things, all required for our everyday life. Nice shot, thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Subho

Hello Gert,
there is some similarity in the content and the atmosphere with the other photo of your. They both feature older and younger fellow working together at the stall and they both are very warm and nice to watch. Regardless what the boys sell they look cheerful and quite content with their life. I also like the composition of this photo very much - the shelves full of products create busy and colorful environment.
Well done!
Kamila

I agree with you (now) that the inclusion of the young customer giving you a friendly wave is a welcome addition to your photograph, adding some human interest and also letting us realise what a friendly neighbourhood this was.

Crikey! That shop is truly an Aladdin's Cave, stocked with everything imaginable from eggs and dried milk to washing powder and Thermos flasks. You have managed the poor light here extremely well and the composition is good with the people nicely placed in the frame. Good colours and excellent details and sharpness considering that this was copied from a sixteen year old Kodachrome slide.

Hello Gert,
I like very much how rich the context of this spontaneous double portrait is. The two people are standing relaxed, friendly and smiling before your lens and the information surrounding them is overwhelming. This photo is a document and a time capsule, telling us so much about daily life in this place through the items and products available to the local people. I agree that the boy's friendly greeting is a great plus, it establishes strong interaction. The light is handled very aptly and there's superb definition on the great range of colours. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely day,
Ourania

hi gert. i had told you how we turks looked like these yemenite people. seriously, looking at the guy behind the desk, i felt like looking at mirror :)) and this small shop with those stuffed shelves is sooo similar to the "bakkal"s in turkey, as you already know. all in all, a very familiar sight for my eyes, yet so attractive with myriads of tiny details and with your heroes radiating positive energy.

i saw the thumbnail and thought india.but no its yemen.but till date one can find shops like these where u get everything in every nook and corner of india...tells me how places are different and yet similar.
regards
dwaipayan

Hello Gert - I love little shops like this, piled to the roof with essential grocery items. This one looks neater than many I have seen and I imagine the shop does a very good trade. Look at all the fresh eggs! The young boy adds a warm human presence to the scene and I like the fact that your two cultures 'met' in this small exchange. Warm regards Rosemary

namaste Gert,
what a shot from this shop with essenceal commodities. Great composition with the little boy along with the seller. Excellent depth and sharp details. Another very good daily life shot. Tfs.
S

Hello, Gert,
Glad to see your fresh archive photo here.
You show us very friendly and peaceful atmosphere in Yemen of 1998. And I see you have got the photos of every street market, for a catalogue, I think ;)

Thanks for your warm words in the comment. Yes, I hope to show my photos in the future.

Hi Gert,
Yes, they sells eggs and many more things. And these are just ordinary eggs like anywhere else. Maybe except Asian countries. I saw very strange eggs of different colours and sizes in China in Vietnam and, horrible, eggs with a boiled chicken inside in Thailand. Pleasant composition with smiling seller.
WArm regrads Malgo

Looks like this small store has everything anybody needs. We have those kind of stores in the Philippines. Friendly vendors and I hope they do a lot of business. You did a wonderful job scanning to retain good photographic qualities. Well done, tfs.

It is always pleasing to have friendly acknowledgements when visiting another country. I think this gesture adds to the genial mood of the shot.

This is like shops used to be many, many years ago, when the corner shop sold absolutely everything! I couldn't believe the range of goods sold in our village shop, there were little drawers all over the shop, full of goods. It was even more surprising that the shopkeeper knew where everything was stored.

This shop follows that trend, except, here, the goods are stacked right up to the roof! Can you imagine serving things from the very topmost shelves! The keeper must have a great sense of balance!
A wonderful daily life shot with real journalistic appeal.

Hello Gert,
A lovely shot of the everything-available grocery shop with a charming boy. Wonderful composition covering whole of the shop in a tight frame. Superb colors and utilization of light coming from outside of the shop.
Thanks for sharing.
With regards,
Alekhya

Many items available in that grocery Gert, the merchants looks peaceful and don't worry about the photo, the eggs are indeed the products more visible, I admit that the seller in the bg reminds me somebody, all the best, see you!

Hello Gert,
This small shop is absolutely jam packed.
Nice in Yemen is that there's always time for a friendly gesture or a chat with the stranger who comes along.
Attractive daily life-shot.
Best regards, Paul

You're capturing well this spectacle by a good timing and excellent tone/clarity, so it's interesting and impressive to see the crammed shop which deals with miscellaneous goods, and the owner & young customer. Although a shop is small, it seems to be compartmented by the shelf and to be arranged for every kind. And, it's also impressive in boy's friendly smile watching you.

Hi Gert
The composition captivated me, he seemed like an artist in his own right on the way that everything was arranged and stocked up so neatly, a very practical shop owner. I love the expression on the faces of both, a very well shot and processed image - looks like walled-in small provision shop of something that is getting rarer nowadays. The multi colours are real treat for photography, i think despite all the work, he looked so content and that boy further added to make a happy capture of these two colourful figs. Another superb street shot, Congrats
Best regards

Hi Gert
Wow, Yemen. You have been everywhere!
I like the variety of goods on sale here. Nicely framed image and well captured poses and expressions. You are right - this friendly gesture really makes the image.
Best wishes
Kasia

Hello Gert
lovely composition full of vibrant colours.
I loved the engaging composition achieved with the items of everyday use. The two boys bring the picture to life. Thanks for sharing and have a great week ahead.
Best regards
Satya

I'd be quite pleased with this as well, it's a super shot! There feels to be a real connection here, both people looking your direction, and one with a friendly wave, is an immediate attraction and evokes an acknowledgment. I'm always fascinated by local shops and their wares, so much fun to scan over all of the various items. Certainly not a place an American like me would be welcomed much these days...so it's very interesting to get a peek into an "unknown world." This would have been an interesting photo regardless, but the inclusion of these two young men really make it impactful. Enjoy the week ahead.

Excellent photo, this amost looks like my shop in Laos. Selling just about everyday things from soaps to candies and food. NO eggs though. Candy was not the best thing for I ate more than I sell. I could have been this boy, maybe younger when I was still in Laos.

As scanned picture very well done, we get a very good sight on the shop with the seller and son as big sellers.
Sharpness and colours make these picture attractive.
A nice composition, excellent captured.
Nice done, TFS.

Hello Gert
The shop can be even in India...the people look pretty much the same, the merchandise, the way the shop looks with goods stacked...like our neighbourhood grocers. Interesting as to how similar we are...Nice DL work!
Best Regards
Angshu

Hi Gert, This looks like a store that sells essential stuffs for daily life. It is so familiar to me because we had so many of that in my birth place. You are very generous to share your journey experiences in Yemen during the year of 98' with TE members. I feel this boy not only welcome you but also to us too with his friendly smile. You photos are so realistic and welcome. Great colours and nice crop which show the height of the store. Thank for sharing
Anna

Hi Gert,
Excellent photo of nice small local shop. Very typical for many Asian countries, especially in Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. You have captured the shopkeeper and his young assistant very well.
Very well done.
Greetings,
Miro

Hi Gert,
An excellent, well preserved slide was scanned very skillfully. This photo is a feast to the eyes with all sorts of colors and shapes. And in between all those inanimate objects, two very different persons, one very stiff and another very casual.
A great photo, congratulations & TFS.
Regards,
MT

marvelous opportunity you had to visit this country when the things weren't so hard for visitors.
the compo is amazing with these personages and the lines, colors and shapes of the many good we can see here. TFS this little treasure from analogical time.

Hola Gert
I reviewed your Yemen captures and just find this, seems speial for me, a market lover, this is a great interesting subject with lots of items on show, to watch and admire, arabian letters to begin with
Good for you, the kind actitude of the boy, it adds charm at the capture, but why on earth so manuy eggs?
Very well done
Kind regards
Maria